Power-supply system



Sept. 2, 1941. w. H. ALDOQUS ETAL.

POWER-SUPPLY SYSTEM Filed July 1, 1939 FIGJ FIGZ.

Patented Sept. 2, i941 emu:

POWER-SUPPLY SYSTEM William Herbert Aldous and Dennis Clark Elpley,

Wembley, England, assignors to Hareltine Cor- V poration, a corporation of Delaware Application July 1, 1939, Serial No. 282,470

In Great Britain July 8, 1938 1 5 Claims.

' This invention relates to a power-translating system and, more particularly, to such a system comprising thermionic rectifier-s of the type adapted to provide, from an alternating potential supply, unidirectional operating voltages to a device having terminals adapted for operation at different voltages, the high potential one of its terminals requiring a positive current and the remainder of its terminals requiring a negative current under normal operating conditions. For instance, the rectifier may be utilized to maintain the electrodes of a secondary emission electron multiplier at predetermined mean potentials relative to each other. The characteristic feature of a secondary emission electron multiplier is that it has at least one electrode, for example, a secondary cathode, positive to the most negative electrode, usually the primary cathode or a control grid associated with it, which in operation loses rather than gains electrons and, therefore, needs to be supplied with electrons, that is, a negative current, and has also at least one electrode, for example, another secondary cathode or the output electrode, the mean potential of which in operation is positive to that of the first said electrode. Incase such last-mentioned electrode is the anode of an electron multiplier, it is required that electrons must be supplied thereto or, in other words, a positive electron current to such anode is required. Such an electron multiplier efl'ectively acts as a positive resistance with respect to its primary cathode and its anode and behaves as a negative resistance with respect to its primary cathode and its secondary cathodes.

When a discharge device has two or more electrodes which have to be maintained at different mean potentials with respect to a common electrode, it is customary to derive the lower potentials from the higher ones by means of resistances. As this procedure is wasteful in power, it has been proposed to derive the re quired potentials from separate rectifiers, which yield directly diflerent unidirectional voltages. In order that the saving in power should not be offset by the cost of the additional rectifiers, it has been proposed to make the rectifiers share certain parts in common. The greatest economy would usually be effected by making them share a common cathode, but there are sometimes diillculties in the way of this proposal which will be explained hereinafter.

It is an object of the present invention, theresupplying power to a device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation different unidirectional operating po tentials, the one of the terminals of highest potential requiring positive current thereto, and the remainder of the terminals requiring negative currents.

In accordance with the invention, in a powertranslating system including a single load device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation different unidirectional operating potentials, the one of the terminalsof highest potential comprising an anodeelectrode requiring a positive current thereto and the remainder of the terminals comprising secondary-cathode electrodes requiring negative current, the values of each of which are dependent upon the values of current to all of the terminals of lesser potential, a power-supply system comprises a rectifier including a cathode and a plurality of anodes. The system includes a plurality of supply circuits for supplying alternating potentials of different values between the several anodes and the cathode, and means for connecting the cathode to the aforesaid one of the terminals and for respectively connecting the anodes of increasingly higher alternating po-- tential to the aforesaid terminals adapted for operation at, decreasing unidirectional potentials through their respective supply circuits.

For a better understanding of the invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 or the drawing is a circuit diagram of a rectifier system utilized to explain the general theory of the invention; while Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram of a power-translating system in accordance with the invention.

condensers connected between the cathode K fore, to provide an improved arrangement for and the other ends of the transformer windings.

In operation, the terminals 2 and 3 are negative with respect to terminal 2, terminal 3 being more negative than terminal 2, as indicated by the voltages in brackets adjacent these terminals.

It now a single load device having two electrodes, positive to a common cathode, is to be supplied from this arrangement, terminal 3 must be connected to such common cathode, terminal I to the more positive electrode and terminal 2 to the less positive electrode of such two electrodes. It the electrode connected to terminal I is receiving electrons, for example, it it is the anode 01' a tetrode whose cathode is connected to terminal 8, these electrons can escape by passing from the cathode K to the anode Ah. But it the electrode connected to terminal 2 is also receiving electrons, for example, ii it is the screen grid of the tetrode, these electrons cannot escape from anode A1 to either cathode K or anode Ah. The arrangement is, therefore, not adapted to feed the anode and screen grid 01 such a tetrode.

On the other hand, if the electrode connected to terminal 3 is the primary cathode of a secondary emission electron multiplier, that con nected to terminal I is the output electrode, and that connected to terminal I is a secondary cathode, the required operating conditions are Iul filled. Under such conditions, the secondary cathode is losing electrons, which can be supplied to it from the cathode K by way of the anode A1. That iact is the basis 01' the present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 2, there is shown a power-supply system embodying the invention and including a rectifier I comprising a plurality oi anodes Al-AU, inclusive, all co-operating with a common cathode K and a transformer, including a plurality oi supply circuit secondary windings 81-85, inclusive, having a common primary winding P, for applying between each 01 anodes Al-AB, inclusive, and cathode K alternating potentials of progressively increasing values. The rectifying means III is used to supply unidirectional operating potentials to a single load device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation diflerent unidirectional operating potentials, the one of the terminals of high= est potential comprising an anode electrode requiring a positive current thereto and the remainder oi the terminals comprising secondarycathode electrodes requiring negative currents the values or each of which are dependent upon the values of current to all of the terminals of lesser potential. Specifically, this single load device comprises an electron multiplier II having an output electrode or anode I3 requiring a positive current thereto, secondary cathodes I4-II, inclusive, which require negative currents thereto the values of each of which are dependent upon the values of current to all oi the secondary cathodes of lesser potential, and a primary cathode I8. The common cathode K of rectifier I0 is connected to the anode or output electrode I I of electron multiplier I 2, which, under normal operating conditions, receives electrons, that is, requires a positive current, and has the most positive mean potential. The anodes A1-A4, inclusive, oi rectifier III are respectively connected to the secondary cathodes I4-I|, inclusive, of electron multiplier I2, which require negative electron currents and unidirectional operating voltages oi progressively decreasing values, through windings Sl-Sl, inclusive. Anode As is connected to primary cathode It, which also loses electrons, that is, requires a negative current, through winding 85. That is, means are provided for connecting cathode K to anode II, which is the terminal 01' the single load device ii of highest potential, and for connecting the anodes Ai-Al, inclusive, or rectifier iii 01' increasingly higher alternating potentials to the electrodes I I-i8, inclusive, or electron multiplier I2, adapted for operation at decreasing mildlrectional potentials, through their respective supply circuits 81-55, inclusive.

Anodes A1--A4, inclusive, are perforated, so that some receive electrons that have passed through the perforations oi the others, and are spaced at increasing intervals from the cathode K. Under these conditions, it is desirable that they should not have high cocmclents of secondary emission; for if they have, they might lose rather than receive electrons.

It is apparent that, with the arrangement described, a single rectifier with a single cathode and a plurality of co-operating anodes is efl'ectivc to supply unidirectional voltages of different values to a plurality of terminals of a load circuit requiring different operating potentials without the use 01' voltage-divider resistors or other power-dissipative devices.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment 01' this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a power-translating system including a single load device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation diflerent unidirectional operating potentials, the one of said terminals of highest potential requiring a positive current thereto and the remainder of said terminals requiring negative currents the value of each oi which is dependent upon the values oi. current to all of said terminals of lesser potential, at power-supply system comprising, a rectifier including a cathode and a plurality oi anodes, a plurality oi supply circuits for supplying alternating potentials of different values between the several anodes and said cathode, and means for connecting said cathode to said one of said terminals andfor respectively connecting said anodes of increasingly higher alternating potential to said terminals adapted for operation at decreasing unidirectional potentials through their respective supply circuits.

2. In a power-translating system including a single load device comprising an electron multiplier having primary-cathode and anode electrodes and at least one secondary-cathode electrode, said. anode electrode requiring a positive current thereto and said secondary-cathode electrode requiring a negative current thereto dependent upon the value of the current to said primary-cathode electrode, a power-supply sys-- tem comprising, a rectifier including a cathode and a plurality of anodes, a plurality of supply circuits for supplying alternating potentials of d1fl'erent values between the several anodes and said cathode, and means for connecting said cathode of said rectifier to said anode electrode of said electron multiplier and for connecting said secondary-cathode and said primary-cathode electrodes. respectively, to said anodes of in creasingly higher alernating potential through their respective supply circuits.

3. In a power-translating system including a single load device comprising an electron multi-, plier having primary-cathode and anode electrodes and a plurality of secondary-cathode electrodes adapted for operation at different unidirectional poentials, said anode electrode requiring a positive current thereto and said secondary-cathode electrodes requiring negative currents thereto the value or each of which is dependent upon the values 0! current to all 0! said electrodes of lesser potential, comprising, a rectifier including a cathode and a plurality of anodes, a plurality of supply circuits for supplying alternating potentials of diflerent values between the several anodes and said cathode, and means for connecting said cathode of said rectifier to said anode electrode of said electron multiplier and for connecting said secondarycathode electrodes adapted for operation at decreasing unidirectional potentialsand said primary-cathode electrode, respectively, to said anodes of increasingly higher alternating potential through their respective supply circuits.

4. In a power-translating system including a single load device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation different unidirectional operatingpotentials, the one o! said'terminals 01 highest potential requiring a positive current thereto and the remainder or said terminals requiring negative currents the value of each of which is dependentuponthe valuesor currenttoallotsaid terminals or lesser potential, a power-supply system comprising, a rectiiier including a cathode and a plurality of anodes, a plurality of supply circuits each including a diflerent winding of a common transformer for supplyingalternating potentials of diflerent values between the several anodes and said cathode, and means for connecting said cathode to said one of said terminals and tor respectively connecting said anodes of increasingly higher alternating potential to said terminals adapted for operation at decreasing unidirectional potentials through their respective supply circuits.

5. In a power-translating system including a single load device having a plurality of terminals individually requiring for normal operation diflerent unidirectional operating potentials,

the one 01 said terminals of highest potential requiring a positive current thereto and the remainder oi. said terminals requiring negative currents thereto for normal operation of said loaddevice, a power supply system comprising,

a rectifier including a cathode and a plurality oi perforate anodes spaced at increasing intervals from said cathode, a plurality or supply circuits ior supplying alternating potentials 0! d1!- terent values between the several anodes and said cathode, and means for connecting said cathode to said one oi said terminals and for connecting said anodes of increasingly higher alternating potential to said terminals adapted tor operation at decreasing unidirectional potentials through their respective supply circuits.

WILIJAM nnnssn'r Amous. nmmrs (alarm seem. 

